Drew Barrymore steps down from hosting MTV Movie & TV Awards in solidarity with the writers' strike

In light of the ongoing Writers Guild strike, Drew Barrymore has decided to step down from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards which is scheduled to happen on May 14, Sunday. "I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike,” Barrymore said in a statement, reports CNN.

The actor said, "Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I’ll be watching from home and hope you will join me." 

However, she said that she “can’t wait to be a part of this next year, when I can truly celebrate everything that MTV has created, which is a show that allows fans to choose who the awards go to and is truly inclusive.”

The show will take place as planned but this time without a host. According to Variety, the state of the show has been evolving every day as producers work through strike contingency plans and are checking with their presenters, nominees and guests to figure out who would be willing to be part of the telecast. Moreover, it is said that there won't be a red carpet or talent interviews before the show this year. 

Barrymore will not be at the live event but she may still be a part of Sunday's show as she already participated in many pre-taped short films which will be aired during the show.

Despite Barrymore stepping down as the host, Bruce Gilmer—the president of music, music talent, programming, and events at Paramount Global, and an executive producer of the MTV Movie & TV Awards—was all praises for the star. "Drew, without question, she’s been incredible. It’s hard to imagine that we’ve ever had a better experience with a host," said Gilmer.

“She’s more of a partner really, she’s in it every day, just super passionate and super engaged and creative. She even bought some of her own team along for the journey. So when this all reared its head, we started to prepare for what could be. She is not surprisingly, standing in solidarity with the writers, which we have full respect for. She has our full support," he added.

He confirmed that the show will go hostless this year. Gilmer said, “The silver lining in all of this is that we really formed a partnership almost a family-like atmosphere. So we see this as a shift in direction, but also a pause for the initial plan, which we’ve all agreed and she’s accepted to continue as our host in 2024."

Gilmer said that the producers are now planning how the show will open and will be finding a way to address why the show looks different than previously planned. However, they still plan on "delivering for the fans" which includes exclusive sneak peeks of the big films that are yet to release, live performances and award sequences. He added that these elements are "very unpredictable because we don't know which talent will feel comfortable. But we have a plan, since the award show is fan-voted, we want to honor the fans’ participation and also honor the talent that earns these awards."

The Guild strike began on May 2 after the major Hollywood studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture Television Producers failed to reach an agreement on terms of the new contract.